"Enemy has entered Kostiantynivka, occupied part of town and established foothold," - Butusov
The situation in Kostiantynivka in the Donetsk region is currently dire. The enemy has managed to enter the town, occupy part of it and establish a foothold there.
This was stated by Yurii Butusov, commander of the UAV company of the 23rd Assault Regiment, part of the National Guard’s 2nd Corps "Charter", in an interview with "UP", according to Censor.NET.
Butusov assessed the situation in Kostiantynivka
According to him, the occupiers are effectively fighting for control of our supply routes. And this is a very tough battle, as the enemy has a large number of troops, UAV units and equipment.
"The situation in Kostiantynivka is undoubtedly very difficult and critical, as the enemy has managed to establish strongholds in fortified buildings.
The main challenge in warfare lies in the organisation and deployment of UAV units, the correct use of infantry in defence and in assault operations, so that troops can survive and carry out their missions in the combat zone. This is a serious organisational and strategic challenge for commanders. "We can see that even the presence of significant forces does not, in some cases, enable this challenge to be overcome," emphasised Butusov.
Russian troops are attempting to take control of logistics
According to him, to ensure that Kostiantynivka does not suffer the same fate as many other towns – Bakhmut, Avdiivka, Lysychansk and Pokrovsk, where the enemy has effectively taken control of most of the town – it is essential first and foremost to acknowledge the problems, rather than glossing over the enemy’s advance and consolidation by describing it as a temporary infiltration.
"We need to carry out an honest review of why certain mistakes were made... If such a review and analysis take place, we will be able to stabilise the situation and prevent a more serious threat – the enemy advancing on Sloviansk and Kramatorsk."
"The main challenges right now are Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, Dobropillia and Lyman. Fighting is ongoing on the immediate outskirts of these towns. The enemy is just a few kilometres away," added Butusov.
He expressed the hope that the Defence Forces would manage to hold their positions in Kostiantynivka and prevent the town from being completely overrun and subsequently turned into a logistics base for launching a further offensive.
"We will have to hold on to Kostiantynivka even under such already difficult tactical conditions and fight to the end – just as is currently happening on the outskirts of Myrnohrad and Pokrovsk," the military official explained.
He also noted that the enemy is a few kilometres from the outskirts of Sloviansk.
What led up to it
- Earlier, the General Staff emphasised that Kostiantynivka remains under the control of the Defence Forces.
- For his part, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the Russian dictator Putin is lying about the capture of Kostiantynivka. At the same time, the president emphasised, "if Kostiantynivka is now under Russian control, then presumably Putin will have no problem meeting me there and finding diplomatic solutions to finally end the war".
- On 4 July, the Russian Ministry of Defence announced its readiness to carry out a "humanitarian operation" to hand over the bodies of fallen Ukrainian soldiers in Kostiantynivka.
